By STEVE REED
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks are doing everything they can to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Even after winning 13 games — including six straight — they may need to beat the 49ers in Week 18 to secure that goal.
Zach Charbonnet ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seahawks turned two third-quarter Carolina turnovers into touchdowns to beat the Panthers 27-10 on Sunday and close in on their first NFC West title since 2020.
Sam Darnold overcame an interception in the end zone to finish 18 of 27 for 147 yards with a touchdown for the Seahawks (13-3). Seattle can wrap up the division crown if the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both lose or tie. The 49ers were hosting Chicago Sunday night, and the Rams visit Atlanta Monday night.
In all likelihood, the Seahawks will need to beat the Niners to wrap up the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
“We’re going to make sure we take care of business,” defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence said. “It’s in our hands. The only thing we have to do is grasp it.”
The Panthers (8-8) had a chance to win the NFC South after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 20-17 at Miami on Sunday.
Now the Panthers will likely need a victory at Tampa Bay next weekend to win their first division title since 2015 and snap a seven-year playoff drought. Carolina could still claim the division with a loss to the Bucs if the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) win their final two games and the teams finish in a three-way tie.
“We definitely feel the missed opportunity, but at the same time we know what is in front of us,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “It is clearly defined. … We have to get over the fact that we missed an opportunity with the Bucs losing that game. But our focus has to go to the next one pretty quickly.”
Seattle coach Mike Macdonald challenged his team to win in all three phases, and the Seahawks did just that in cold, dreary conditions that resembled winter in the Pacific Northwest.
The Seahawks played mostly man-to-man defense and it worked to perfection.
Bryce Young was limited to 54 yards on 14-of-24 passing and threw an interception for the inconsistent Panthers, who followed up a win with a loss for the fifth straight time. Young ran for 30 yards and accounted for Carolina’s only touchdown with a 10-yard scamper.
Carolina’s top wide receivers — Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette — were limited to a combined four catches for 24 yards and the Panthers had just 139 yards of offense.
Seattle outgained Carolina 163 yards to 99 on the ground.
“Same story every week: We didn’t flinch,” Macdonald said. “A big emphasis this week was, ‘Can we stack plays in all three phases?’ It took us a half to do it but I felt like in the second half, we did a great job.”
After an ugly first half that ended in a 3-3 tie, the Seahawks took control in the third quarter thanks to their opportunistic defense.
Lawrence recovered a fumble by Chuba Hubbard deep in Carolina territory and Charbonnet cashed in with a 2-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Young’s pass to McMillan was intercepted by Julian Love, leading to Darnold’s 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner.
“Bad decision, bad throw,” Young said.
Hubbard’s fumble came after Darnold was picked off in the end zone.
“It’s unbelievable. Our defense has been doing that all year,” Darnold said. “They’ve been stepping up in such a huge way. Especially for me, on that turnover, I’ve got to move on in my progression and at least make it a us-or-nobody throw. But for us it’s just complementary football.”
The Panthers, who managed just 72 yards in the first three quarters, put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended early in the fourth. Young scored on a 10-yard run to cut Seattle’s lead to 17-10.
The Panthers’ defense appeared ready to get off the field on Seattle’s next possession, but two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn was flagged for grabbing Smith-Njigba’s facemask on a third-down reception on third-and-21, more than 15 yards behind the first-down marker.
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Seattle sacked Young twice on the ensuing possession to get the ball back, and Charbonnet sealed it with his second TD run.
“Credit to them,” Young said. “They made adjustments to the game plan and did a better job of executing it. We are going to go up against different schemes and teams that are going to make adjustments. We need to be able to react to that and counter it. We will watch the film and learn and grow from it.”
Injuries
Seahawks: WRs Rashid Shaheed (concussion) and Cody White (groin) left in the first half and did not return.
Panthers: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (ankle) was carted to the locker room after getting injured on the game’s first play. Canales said Sanders broke his ankle and will miss the rest of the season. CB Robert Rochell (concussion) left a short while later. LB Claudin Cherelus left with a calf injury in the third quarter.
Up next
Seahawks: At 49ers next weekend.
Panthers: At Tampa Bay next weekend.
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